1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recording data and, more particularly, to methods and systems for utilizing a series of recorded user actions on a computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
When interfacing with a computer program, a user takes a series of actions. Examples of such actions include moving a mouse, clicking on an icon or button, and typing texts. Currently, some computer applications can record actions by the user. However, the recording is limited. For example, many applications have a macro feature that shortens long commands or menu sequences. Essentially, a macro recorder records a sequence of actions taken by the user when interfacing with an application. The recorded sequence of actions may then be repeated such that the user does not need to repeat the same actions. A disadvantage of existing macro recorders is that recording is limited to recording a short sequence of commands and actions that are only useful for shortening common user commands. The existing macro recorders cannot determine what the user is actually doing or working on. Further, the only actions that are recordable are limited to pre-specified commands.
Another example is a Web browser feature that tracks the history of Web sites visited. The tracking feature keeps a history of the Web sites visited along with the date. However, the tracking feature doesn't track details such as how the user got to the Web sites, the amount of time spent browsing the Web sites, and the order in which the Web sites were visited. Another example is a replay feature typically found in many video games. The video games basically record user actions during game play and replays the actions at a later time. However, the problem with the replay feature is that the recording cannot be edited or utilized outside the particular video game.
As a result, there is a need to provide methods and systems for recording any actions taken by the user when interfacing with one or more computer programs, and the actions can be saved, edited, and utilized by other programs.